Don't Laugh... but

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NickSpringfield

New member
I first started computer recording about four years ago. Back then I wanted everything to be legit, so I bought a new comp, got good software, a microphone, a mixer and everything else that is required to do this. At the time, I was looking to get a good soundcard to replace the piece of crap that came with the PC. BUT... I never did and I actually forgot about it until just recently when I sent my computer away for upgrades and the guy asked what kind of soundcard I had and I said I still had the one that came with it. This surprised him as he knows I do music and he's heard a lot of my stuff. He found it hard to believe I produced as high quality a product with the soundcard that came with the PC.

Despite him being impressed (He's a big computer nerd), I just started thinking about getting a new soundcard again. Now I'm not asking what kind to get, because theres tons of info on this board alone, but what I'm asking is what difference will it make?

I know, it sounds ameture, and I'm not new to computer recording, but for some strange reason I never thought about getting a good card for three years.

Don't treat me like an idiot and please list some advantages of a new card.

Thank you in advance.

By the way, the only thing I record with a mic is vocals and dont require multiple inputs/outputs.

-Springfield
 
well, one of the reason people do get a better soundcard is for more I/Os.
but just like any electronic that you buy, the cheaper they are the cheaper they're made.
take a TV for instance. sure you could buy a $25, 6" Black and white TV....but are you going to want to rent DVDs and watch movies on it? how about your instruments...would you buy a $50 knock off guitar and expect it to out perform a $900 Gibson?
that being said, most soundcards that come with computers nowadays are on the motherboard. and the company that makes the motherboard is more worried about making a kick ass motherboards that runs fast and has 6 USB ports. buying from a company that makes soundcards for the sole purpose of selling them to people who want to record will definitely get you better results.

Also there are sample rate/bit depth issues to worry about. If you want to record at higher rates/depths...you'll have to get a better card. You're lucky to find a card that supports 48kHz, 24bit. The converters in a quality soundcard will be a ton better as well. Which means cleaner sounds that you'll hear.

hope that helps
 
i was in the same boat as you, i did computer recording for several years before finally getting my Firepod (thanks to my research done here!). one of my main concerns was that i needed more inputs for recording a drum set, but after doing a few "test" recordings with the Firepod, the quality of sound that i get is so much better. i don't have to do as much EQ'ing as i probably would have on my stock sound card, everything sounds much "richer" going in. also, i'm able to record at higher levels without noise, i get less hiss on my recordings and when layering multiple tracks, it really makes a big difference. i would recommend getting a good card ASAP, your ears should notice a huge difference in quality right away.
 
Audiophile 24/96 - I love em and you can pick one up for under £60 now!!! ;)

(See my other post about linking more than one)
 
The best thing to do is just get a new soundcard and do a side-by-side comparison. You will soon be kicking yourself in the ass when you realize the difference. When I bought my Audiophile 2496 card I compared it to my onboard soundcard [soundstorm] which was supposed to sound great according to most computer nerds. By comparison the soundstorm sounded like there was a blanket over the speakers.
 
I really appreciate the info. I'll look into getting a new card as soon as I get my PC back from the tech guy. I'll follow up and let you know how I made out.

Thanks again,

-Springfield
 
Curious~ how big of a difference would the soundcard make ONLY on monitoring? That is, playing an identical pre-recorded track through both stock and AP24/96...?

Noticable?
Drastic?
 
how big of a difference would the soundcard make ONLY on monitoring?
Click to expand...

Less than on recording. I had to do this for some time since the app I used coudn't play back through alsa, only oss. So I recorded on the RME and played back trough a 9 euro soundcard. Largest difference was noise and hum.
 
This has pretty much been covered by everyone, but just to reiterate: the biggest difference between soundcards is going to be in the quality of the converters (A/D and D/A). Cheap soundcards just don't do it as well. Keep in mind that the Soundblaster may say it does 24 bit/192kHz, but the quality of conversion compared to a dedicated recording card at 24/192 (or even 16/44.1) will probably be lacking. Pro studios spend thousands and thousands of dollars on quality outboard A/D converters for good reason.
 
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